Said & Sunaina's Readings

Karen Nguyen
ASA 10
9 May 2017

The reading by Edward was more challenging to read, but basically gave insight into the perception of principal dogmas of orientalism. In his review, orientalism is the “learned study” of Asian and Middle Eastern civilizations, in a stereotypical way that is rooted in the late-18th century’s age of colonialism. Said basically talks about how Western Christianity was essentially intertwined with Islam as a faith because of how it is both a part and not a part of Judeo-Christian tradition. However, despite these shared similarities between the two faiths, Said then addresses how Europeans traditionally perceive Islam with “hatred,” as a religion that contends with Christianity. And this, actually, relates to the old Vergara reading about transnationalism.  This ironic sense of hostility in European thought is an example of how transnationalism, or the interconnected network of cultural beliefs across borders, can result in political conflicts. In this case, the conflict between the Orient and the West occurs when transnationalism across religions goes unrecognized, and ideological borders are formed. As a result, modern Orientalism groups together Muslims and Jews, labeling them as “outlandish competitors” of the Western belief system. And finally, Said concludes how European thought almost makes it natural to place the Orient, which includes these Muslims, Asians, and Jews, in what he calls a “thankless position of being known negatively.” In Sunaina's reading, it was interesting to read how she relates transnationalism with the spread of goods and consumption across borders, to the imperialist motives of nations. This "consumer identity" coincides with a "national identity" due to how significant the flow of goods, people, and services are beyond national borders.